Often, fishermen find it necessary to use one or more anchors when fishing from row boats, or from small boats using outboard motors. Sometimes fishermen troll through a body of water. However, schools of fish tend to remain in generally localized regions that provide secure hiding places and/or adequate food. Obviously, it is advantageous to anchor where the fish are located, rather than trolling over an extensive area.
Rocky bottoms provide excellent hiding places for fish and/or for the food they eat. Sometimes these rocky bottoms consist of natural rocks; but often they consist of broken pieces of concrete that have been dumped to provide a breakwater.
Conventional anchors often become so firmly caught in rocks, or broken pieces of concrete, that it is impossible to free them, and so it becomes necessary to cut the boat free from the anchor.
The cost of replacing conventional anchors that are irretrievably lost in rocky bottoms is a financial burden to fishermen who own their own boats and anchors.
However, the problem is more severe in resort areas where a large percentage of the boats are rental boats. Because of the frequent loss of conventional anchors and the high cost of replacement, many who rent boats will not rent anchors with their boats. Then, the cost of owning an anchor, and the burden of transporting it along with all of his fishing gear, is placed on the fisherman.
If the fisherman is without his own anchor, loses his own anchor, or is unable to rent an anchor, then he must drift or troll an area that is greater than an area in which he finds fish. Therefore his total catch is reduced, and he loses much of the pleasure of an expensive vacation or outing.